YOUTH COLUMN

PORTRAYAL OF FEMALE CHARACTERS IN MAINSTREAM CHILDREN’S TELEVISION

Shailene Woodley, the young star of the best-seller-turned-movie “The Fault in our Stars”, in an interview, refused to call herself a feminist, citing the reason that she “loves men”. When did feminism turn into man-hating?

In the contemporary era of digitised opinions, virtually projected ideas and hypocritical propositions, the term ‘feminism’ has been stripped of its true essence. Militancy has taken over the movement which has latched a sense of shame and disgrace to calling oneself a feminist.

I will not look into feminism and its bittersweet relationship with influential women, but rather wade into the deep waters of how women are depicted in one particular yet vast segment of popular media – children’s television shows.

In my two years of study of the basics of psychology, I’ve come to apprehend that, as Freudian as it may seem, an almost unnoticeable metaphorical blemish on a child’s psyche, if not cured, can grow successively with the child’s age into an unrectifiable scar. So, the point I’m getting to is that if Shailene had to deny herself the pride of being referred to as a feminist, her childhood and developmental years must have predisposed and conditioned her into misinterpreting feminism. And what are the normal child’s earlier routines usually centred around? Cartoon shows.

As a young girl I wanted to be convinced, I not by myself that it’s okay to be a girl and still retain a distinctly unique identity, not defined by the stereotypes projected by the media, without being attributed in terms of what I mean to the males, to internalise the fact that it’s okay to take the lead, be the protagonist, be smart and beautiful, without the two qualities being traded off against each other just to squeeze myself into superficial labels.

I’m fortunate enough to have had gender sensitive and sensitized parents, some remarkable empowering mentors, and undeniable social support to have been disillusioned by my fellow females’ unrealistic depictions in a few of my all-time favourite cartoon shows.

When one is asked to retrospect one’s glorious childhood, she or he instantaneously boxes it up into three little set of words – Tom and Jerry. Oh! What revelry, lolling around on the messy sofa, gorging down late Sunday brunches comprised of Amma’s delicious alooparathas dripping with butter while tuning into our daily dose of cat-and-mouse antics.

I don’t know if it’s just me or if the question did baffle other nine-year-olds as well, but I was and am perpetually intrigued as to why (except Tom’s owner of course) no single lead was female, except when Tom or Jerry had to be wooed. Female cats and mice were mere eye-candy for Tom and Jerry to drool all over, hoot at, wolf-whistle at and win over.

Scooting over to the ever-entertaining Scooby-Doo! This show has two central female characters – Daphne Blake and Velma Dinkley. I, as a child, did not identify with either of them – Daphne being too much of a damsel-in-distress and eye-candy (again) and Velma, the stereotypical, generally unattractive nerd. Why was there no in-between?

Although Popeye’s spinach fetish did culminate into an increased intake of green, leafy veggies in children, has the show crossed any significant milestone in promoting Olive Oyl as an ideal role model for young women? I think not.

The current frenzy revolved around Japanese animated shows called Anime. What flabbergasts me is that one of the most mainstream Anime which came to an end this January after running for a legendary 8 years – Naruto – of which I’ve watched keenly every single one of over six hundred episodes, hides its face in shame over the powerful male to powerful female ratio of one thousand to just one. Don’t get me wrong; I love the show and have come to revere it as something truly divine because of its alluringly complex and multi-faceted male characters. But the fact that I can’t position myself in the shoes of any female character claws away at my heart. Ninety-five percent of Naruto’s female characters are merely two-dimensional, busty, and have no real persona.

My rants over this deeply saddening truth isn’t limited to just these instances: this disproportionate ratio spreads its ugly wings over umpteen other childhood classics such as Phineas and Ferb, Dexter’s Laboratory, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Shinchan, Doraemon, Kiteretsu, etc.

Most kids’ programmes today and since time immemorial don’t and haven’t passed a crucial benchmark – that of the Bechdel Test. The Bechdel Test was introduced in a comic strip in which the illustrated woman firmly states that she goes to watch movies that tick three boxes – one, the movie should have at least two women in it, two, who talk to each other and thee, when they do, their conversation revolves around something besides a man. This test has now been conducted on all genres of popular media, including kids’ TV shows. The inability of some of the most widely viewed shows on Indian TV to cross the mark - Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Thomas the Tank Engine, ChhotaBheem, Oggy and the Cockroaches – certainly throws light on the dishearteningly blatant underrepresentation and faulty portrayal of women.

In all my years of over-eager cartoon viewing, I’ve come across one show that ticks all my feminist boxes. I believe that this series delivers wholly to the diverse young audience, ‘diverse’ being the key word here, for this titillating and entertaining series and its equally riveting sequel leaves no stone unturned in making one feel truly at peace in all its aspects. And this heaven of a show that I so highly speak of is ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’, plus, its follow-up ‘The Legend of Korra’.

First things first, an unlimited range of well-rounded female characters, make it realistically well-rounded. There are female warriors, dancers, antagonist, housewives, police commissioners, princesses, queens, gymnasts, musicians, geniuses, the intellectually slow and the eye-candies – for there is no denying their existence either.

The sequel to Avatar, ‘The Legend of Korra’ caught many a viewer, parent and child alike, off guard, because the protagonist Korra was for one, female, two, had dark skin, and finally, was bisexual.

The last feature didn’t go down that well with Nickelodeon for reasons ever so evident and the show was pulled off primetime and instead, uploaded online.

This act of Nick’s was deemed outrageous by hoards of ardent fans across the world while, at the same time, creators of Avatar – Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, endearingly referred to as ‘Bryke’ by the ocean of a fandom, were lauded for their brave stand on feminism, racial equality and rights of the LGBT community.

Not only did this masterpiece of a cartoon break down barriers of taboo and misplaced stereotypes, it also dealt with a delicate issue with utmost care and empirical approach – that of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) gradual recovery from psychological trauma.

This show is articulated so very meticulously that it is in no way “too much gore” or “too intense” for young viewers. In fact, I insist that in order to evolve and blossom into socially responsible human being, every child must grow up watching both the series, for it encompasses greatly varied information as undertones to entertainment – from personality development to fighting off one’s demons, from the cruelty of dictatorship to the chaos of anarchy, from themes of meditation and salvation to those of war and unrest – and the list never ends. One could write and entire thesis on how the Avatar series is the quintessential educational programme of the twenty-first century. The stories so artistically woven really are legends, to be told and retold in all the years that lie ahead of us.

A handful of other animated television shows that have, if not equally yet scratched the surface of breaking stereotypes, include Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, the Powerpuff Girls, Hyouka and a few others. Anime like FMA: B have impacted millions of people across the world in ways indescribable.

Why can’t we have more such intricately designed and sensibly manoeuvred cartoon shows adorn children’s television? Why do baseless storylines of Doraemon and Oggy and the Cockroaches encroach upon the space meant for cartoons that wield the baton of knowledge and wisdom for the young, impressionable minds? Will there ever dawn an era where we the ‘fairer sex’ be portrayed realistically? All of us – young, old, thin, fat, the in-betweens, the dark-skinned, the light-skinned, the albinos, the handicapped, the voluptuous, the anorexic, the conflicted, the happy-go-lucky, the maniac, the depressed, the powerful, the simpletons, the over-achievers, the YOU’s, the I’s, the WE!

I await the day.

Author is a degree student.